Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall’s Talan Plante splits a pair of defenders during a boys hockey game against Windom in Red Baron Arena on Dec. 5, 2023.

MARSHALL — The Marshall boys hockey team completed the 2023-24 season with a strong finish. Although they fell short of a ticket to state, they put up a fight in 3A sections, just falling short to New Ulm in the conference championship. They finished with a record of 16-12.

Marshall turned heads during the 3A section playoffs. Coming in as the No. 5 seed, they won a road win against No. 4 Mankato West to avenge a loss from the year prior. They would then go on and shock No. 1 Luverne, the reigning section champs who dominated the regular season to go undefeated in the Big South Conference.

Luverne beat Marshall twice in the regular season, but it was the Tigers who would have the last laugh, moving on to the conference championship where they would fall to New Ulm. Senior goalie Gavin Welsh would average an .891 save percentage in the playoffs.

Even in the regular season, Marshall would win big or keep it close. Of Marshall’s 16 wins, nine of them were decided by four or more goals. The Tigers also had three wins piling up over ten goals, one of them being a 12-4 road win at Worthington.

Owen Renslow, a junior, led the team in goals for the season with 30. Senior Talon Plante led the team in assists with 30.

With Plante leaving, Renslow will need to step up to the plate and take the reins. Renslow finished the season with a team-high of five hat tricks. Using his scoring ability, Renslow could lead the Tigers to big things next season.

But it takes more than one to make a team. The Tigers graduate seniors Plante, Andrew Seanor, Chase Mellenthin, Isaac Gross, Sam Poff, Justin Dwire and Gavin Welsh. With the departure of a large group of key contributors, there will be plenty of opportunities for juniors to turn into leaders.